The Ocarina of Time
by DavCube
Summary: I know that this has been done a lot, but its another novelization of Ocarina of Time... mixed with a bit of LinkxSaria and LinkxZelda... well, R&R to see how you likes! Ch. 6 UP!
1. The Dreams

Well, its happening again: a novelization of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with just the right amount of twists for the tastes of those who enjoy LinkxSaria as well as LinkxZelda. What with recent findings from the game like the Arwing Code, I got back into the game, so here goes nothing! I don't own Zelda or its characters, they belong to the great Shigeru Miyamoto.

Chapter 1 – The Dreams

The sky looked peaceful that day, riding in a horse-driven carriage across the plains of Hyrule. The royal escort rattled on slowly through the fields, its passenger, the princess of the kingdom, wishing to take the scenic route on her way back from a council with the Zora leaders. Suddenly, the carriage stopped, so abrupt it knocked the frail princess out of her seat and onto the floor of the carriage. Once she looked out of the window again, it looked completely different. The sky was filled with dark clouds that almost guaranteed heavy rainstorms. She whimpered, thoughts of thunder scared the young princess. Some of the clouds formed into an object, a jewel encased inside of grotesque and twisting metal. Lightning flashed as it formed, forcing a scream of terror from the innocent bystander.

But then, just as suddenly as the clouds formed, a green light appeared from the forest she was looking at only moments earlier. The foreboding jewel shattered as the clouds dispersed, allowing the odd light to spread across the sky. The princess hastily opened her eyes to look toward the forest, and what she saw confused her, but nonetheless left her with a feeling of relief. A small figure was walking out of the forest into the fields, holding one hand into the air. Grasped within it was a round stone with the same pigment as the light. Streaks of gold wrapped around it, creating a sort of handle for its user. Following the figure was another ball of light, barely visible against the light of the stone. Nearly the size of the stone itself, wings could be seen coming from it. The princess was awestruck as she instantly realized what she was seeing.

"A fairy… and a forest boy…"

The next thing she knew, the light faded, but she was no longer in the carriage. She was in her bed located in her chamber at the castle of Hyrule. She was breathing hard, barely able to take in the fact that all that she saw was only a dream. In fact she refused to believe that. 'That… was not… just a dream…' she thought to herself. She had known that she had the power to perceive the future, and other magical abilities. However, no matter how many times she told her father about them, he simply thought that she was playing a childish game, but she knew otherwise that she was, in a word… special. Her caretaker, Impa, seemed to know this. She was the only one she could trust with this information.

'I have to tell her… I fear that it's our only hope.'

Little did she know that the dark clouds from her dream would move into another persons mind that very same night…

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Rain poured down from the dark sky. It was almost darker than the sky should have been during a normal storm. Lightning flashed several times as a child clad in a green tunic stood in front of the gate that led to Hyrule Castle. The gate began to open, and a white horse began to make its way toward it from the inside. The sound of hooves on cobblestones became louder, and when the gate finally opened fully, locking into place, the child had barely any time to leap out of the path of the frantic horse. He looked as it past, wondering why it was leaving. Suddenly, he heard a snort behind him. Twirling around, he screamed as he saw a man atop a pitch black steed, almost the complete opposite of the horse that just passed him.

How it gave no sound as it approached, he did not even have time to think of asking himself that as the man, whose eyes seemed to peer into his mind and release all happiness that resided there, raised his hand toward him, as if to strike him down without even dismounting his armored horse. He screamed again, wishing it would just end quickly. One bright light was all he could remember, until a familiar voice called his name.

"Link! Link, wake up!"

The boy called Link opened his eyes with a start to find himself where he was when he went to bed, his tree house. Next to him, holding his shoulder, was a girl, dressed in the same type or garments as he was, a dark green color that was worn by all of his kind. "Saria… how did you?" He began to ask, trying to get up, but the girl's hands pushed him back down on the bed, beckoning him to stay where he was. "You were yelling in your sleep." She said gently. "I could hear it all the way from my house." The boy sighed, allowing his friend to lay him back down.

"Darn it… sorry, Saria…" The girl simply smiled, something Link recognized as her way of saying 'Don't worry… that's what friends are for.' The smile was quickly replaced by a look of concern when she then asked. "It was that nightmare again, wasn't it?" Link looked away from her, not out of disrespect, but merely from deep thought. "Yeah... I don't know why I keep seeing these things… its like… its trying to tell me something…"

"Like what?" Saria asked, knowing that she could trust what Link told her. He looked back toward her with a look of understanding that seemed to mask the slight fear that he was feeling.

"Like something bad is going to happen here."

Saria's hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek, where it stayed for several seconds before she stood up to leave.

'Oh Link… what's happening here… what's happening… to you…?"

To be continued…


	2. The Summoning

AAAHHH! An update! School has been very, very hard and time-consuming, leaving me no time to update this pile of crap novelization. Anyway, here's chapter two… enjoy!

Chapter 2 – The Summoning

The forest sat calm that early morning. A lone fairy flew gently through the trees, coming into a clearing. Here, a large and prominent tree stood between the others, as if it was the leader among them. The bark somehow, someway, seemed to form not quite a face, but more like eyebrows, a nose, and a moustache. Such a strange arrangement, the fairy knew, was not just coincidence, as the tree began to speak in a low, deep voice.

"Ah, Navi… thou hast beckoned my call…" The fairy acknowledged the deity by bowing low to it before speaking. "What is your bidding, Great Deku Tree?" She asked, ready to perform its service. The wise tree wasted no time to explain his reason for calling her. "Navi, surely thou hast felt a strong presence these past moons, something that has a dark feeling to it." The fairy nodded, not moving from her position in the air. "Indeed… something threatens this forest, and time is growing short. Quickly, Navi, the time is now. You must go to the boy without a fairy in this forest." While the fairy understood this request, it looked at the tree quizzically.

"Yes, but why? Is he not a…" the tree cut off the fairy's question, knowing there was no time for excuses. "That is why he must be the one. He is the only one who can destroy that evil spirit, including that inside of me. Navi… you are to be his companion until such a time that a guardian is no longer needed. Quickly, bring him here. Fly!" Startled, Navi bowed once more and set off once more into the forest whence she came.

With the best speed she could muster, she bobbed and weaved through the trees until she found another clearing. This was much different from the place where the Great Deku Tree stood. Here, there were many primitive houses built. Children were running about between them, each of them with a fairy companion following close behind. She smiled as she admired how carefree the Kokiri were under the rule of the Great Deku Tree, that is until her attention was taken back to the present when she smashed into a fence, stunning her. "Ooh… that wasn't… too smart." Shaking her head to dull the sensation, she flew above the fence and flew straight toward the door of the only tree house that had been built in the forest.

Once inside the small dwelling, she saw a small Kokiri child sleeping in what was supposed to be a bed. The child was shivering, but the fairy couldn't tell whether it was because it was cold outside or if he was dreaming. Nevertheless, she didn't hesitate to yell to wake him up. "Hey! Link! Wake up!" The Kokiri turned over, but did not wake up. Frustrated, she proceeded to give him a swift kick on the cheek, knowing it wouldn't cause him much pain because of her size. "Come on! We don't have all day! Honestly…" Navi stopped bickering when the boy sat up.

"Uh… what is it… huh?" His eyes focused on the floating ball of light with wings in front of him in awe. "Who are you?" he asked it, hoping what he thought was right. Clearing her throat, Navi began her explanation. "Good morning Link! I'm Navi, it's nice to meet you!" She proclaimed, bowing low to her new partner. Link's eyes still showed a look on confusion as he leaned closer to the fairy. "Does this mean that… you're my partner?" He inquired, anxious. Navi smiled, despite the urgency of her mission. "That's right, we're going to be together from now on." Link smirked and stood up out of his elation. "Thank the gods… I'm finally a Kokiri… I need to tell Saria!" with the image of Saria's smiling face in his mind, he ran for the door, but the fairy blocked his way, a look of sternness strewn across her features. "That's nice and all, but we've been summoned by the Great Deku Tree, so we need to go there now!"

Link gasped, shocked even more so than he was earlier. Why would the Deku Tree want to see him? Was this why he was sent a fairy? He nodded, knowing how serious a summoning like that was for the Kokiri. "Well then… let's get going, Navi." He said with confidence. Navi followed closely behind when Link walked into the crisp morning air of the Kokiri Forest. He was about to climb down the ladder of his tree house when he saw a figure running toward the base of the tree. It waved at him, and he waved back.

"Hey Link!" the girl yelled out her greeting. 'Just like you Saria…' he thought to himself as he slid down the ladder and walked over to her. She gasped as she saw the fairy floating alongside Link, matching his pace almost exactly. "Link, is that a fairy?" Link scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Yep, that's Navi… crazy, isn't it?" he asked jokingly, barely having any time to prepare himself for Saria's tight hug. "Oh, Link! That's great! I'm so happy for you! You're really one of us now." She said. Link returned the embrace, happy to be in his friend's arms. "Well, I'm happy too," was his response. 'That is, that you're happy Saria…' he added in his mind. Navi floated closer to Link's ear with a stern look on her face. Clearing her throat, she announced "While I hate to ruin this happy moment, we do have something to do here!" Link reluctantly pulled away, remembering his mission for the day.

"Oh, that's right. Navi told me that the Great Deku Tree summoned me for some reason, and we need to get going." Saria's happy face was again replaced with that of concern. "That _is_ serious… we don't get summoned very often, especially not alone. Well… go, get going! We'll talk later." Saria waved toward the opposite side of the forest, where the Deku Tree resided. Link waved back as he ran toward the taller trees. He saw many of the Kokiri stop and stare as he scurried through the little obstacle course made across the little lake situated in the middle of the clearing. The newest Kokiri smirked as he stole glances of them whispering to each other about viewing his new fairy. Soon, he was approaching the edge of the clearing, where the trail leading to the Deku Tree was located. Slowing his stride to carefully navigate the woods, he looked around before attempting to enter. Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Hey you! Mr. No-Fairy!"

Link groaned in exasperation, there was only one Kokiri in that forest who could have that voice: Mido, the self-proclaimed boss of the Kokiri. Turning around, he saw Mido walk towards him, his face stern and his hands on his hips. "What do you want Mido? I'm busy." The smug Mido laughed. "I'll say you are; getting away from that trail! An outsider like has no right to see the Deku Tree! You don't even have a fairy!" Navi flew up to Mido's face, looking like she wanted to bash it straight into his skull. "Then what am I, you bully, a piece of glowing cotton!" Link reached over a grabbed the peeved fairy by the wings, not wanting the argument to escalate. "Easy, Navi." He said, trying to calm her down. Mido stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of him, not wanting to believe it.

"What! YOU have a FAIRY? Why would YOU get a fairy? You're not one…" Link decided to cut him off at that point in order to continue his mission. "You know, as much as I would love to see you babbling incoherently, I've been summoned by the Deku Tree, so I need to get going." He explained. This last statement brought Mido out of the small shock the fairy dealt him. "You still can't go in there!" He commanded quickly, stopping Link as he tried to start walking the trail again. "What, you don't believe me about that either?" He asked, now thoroughly peeved at the bossy Kokiri. Mido shook his head. "You're no Kokiri, but I know you wouldn't make something like that up, but the forest is full of monsters and stuff! You at least not something to protect yourself, and I'm not letting you through until you do!" Link wanted to say more, but knew that Mido was right. Saria and the Deku Tree have told him before that there were many dangers in and around the Kokiri Forest. Defeated, Link walked back from where he came, but not before crossing paths with Saria yet again. With an inquisitive look she ran up to him.

"Link, you're back already? Did that Mido keep you from going?" She asked, almost already knowing the answer. Link nodded, forcing them both to groan out of frustration. "I hate Mido! What made him want to be so mean to us anyway?" Saria inquired, this time knowing the answer could not be provided. Link smiled, grateful that someone else was on his side. "Well, if he said that you needed protection, he is right… the forest is supposed to be infested with bad Deku." Link shook his head, frustrated. "Well, what am I supposed to use? I can use my savings to buy a shield at the shop, but other than that…" Link was interrupted by another Kokiri's voice. "There is one thing…" The duo turned around to see a lone boy with long hair that nearly covered his eyes. He smiled and pointed towards a separate trail near the training grounds, where the Kokiri learned self-defense in case of an attack from outsiders. "There's supposed to be a sacred Sword of the Kokiri in there… we don't sell weapons here, so that might be your only option." Link nodded, accepting his theory.

"I've heard of that… but I also heard that no one who's looked for it has ever returned." Saria slapped him on the shoulder and Navi scoffed at that remark. "Come on, that's just superstition… but we all know the sword exists… and it's your only choice." The female Kokiri offered her support. "Exactly!" added the impatient fairy. "So let's get a move on!" Link smiled at looked back at Saria once again before running toward the clearing. The girl watched as he went, contemplating the future. "What happens when he gets to the Deku Tree… speaking of which…" her face gained a smirk at her next thought. "…I need to have a chat with Mido…"

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Link trudged through the trail, alert and careful not to trip over anything, lest he scared the creatures of the forest. Soon he came into a clearing in the shape of an oval. In its center rested a chest on the top of an old tree stump. Around the stump were several unlit torches arranged in a circle. Link quickened his pace, knowing that he found what he was looking for. He kneeled before the chest to read the engraved text on the front of it. Navi read the Hylian text out loud.

"To those that stand before this treasure, heed this warning well.

Although you've found this Sacred Shrine, what lies in the chest is not a reward.

The one who wields the power within shall create his own.

Your journey is just beginning."

Link looked puzzled. "What do you think it means?" he asked the wise fairy, eager to know more of this riddle. Navi, ever impatient, dismissed it, and forced Link to focus. "It doesn't matter, let's just take the sword and get back, the Deku Tree is waiting!" The unlocked chest opened with ease, and Link reached inside, taking out a short blade, just the right size for the Kokiri body. He was awestruck as he swung the strap over his shoulder; he remembered seeing pictures of this blade, and it looked exactly the same as he pictured it.

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After making his way back to the main Kokiri Forest, Link immediately ran to his tree house in order to find his money supply. "I was saving this for something… but it doesn't matter, I need it now." Swiping the small bag, he stepped down his ladder quickly and ran to the hut that served as a store for the Kokiri and its forest visitors. The many Kokiri who were inside smiled as he saw him walk in, as they already knew (by then from Saria) that Navi had arrived for him. Link walked up to the counter and dropped the small bag next to the Kokiri teller. "Get me a Deku Shield, the best you have, and hurry." Link said, now almost paranoid from Navi's constant reminders on how pressed they were for time. By now, word had spread throughout the forest of Link's predicament, so the teller merely nodded before taking the bag of rupees and walking around to find a Deku Shield.

Soon Link was again walking out of the store and toward the trail where Mido kept guard. He didn't find it surprising that before he was even close to the entrance the bossy Kokiri began to laugh heartily. "Is that all you could find? Some wimpy wooden shield?" He spouted between bouts of almost-fake laughter. Link, however, had no time to deal with such foolishness as his, as for the first time, he drew his sword and brought only inches away from Mido's nose. His prideful laughter immediately subsided as the gasped, recognizing the blade as quickly as Link did in the forest. Stammering at the sight of it, his knees buckled over and he sat on the ground in shock. The boy with the newest fairy smirked. "No more objections? Then move."

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Despite for Mido's whining, Link faced no danger as he walked through the trail. Only the occasional Deku Baba plant stood on the trail, but they did not attack the boy. Soon Link found himself in the same place Navi was several hours earlier, in front of the Great Deku Tree. The both of them bowed low again toward it before Navi spoke. "Great Deku Tree, we're here!"

"Ah, Navi, thou hast returned… and thine quest was successful, I thank you. Link, it is of great urgency that you were summoned today." Link swallowed, nervous to speak personally with the Deku Tree. "These past several nights must have been hard on you, my child… ridden with nightmares." The boy then gasped, surprised even further by the knowledge of the deity. "How did you know that?" He asked, barely able to keep his respectful stance from surprise. "An evil wind has blown from the north… it creeps slowly, affecting those with courageous hearts such as yours which are sensitive to it. Indeed, you have a courageous spirit within you. Would you do anything in your power to take this task I have for you?" The tree explained, almost already knowing the answer.

"If it will protect you and the Kokiri… I will." Link stated with little hesitation. The tree's voice became sterner as he delivered an ultimatum. "I have been cursed, Link… I have chosen you to enter inside me to break the curse that the evil wind has inflicted upon me. Be warned… this task could cost you your life. Will you still help me?" Link waited several seconds before reacting, taking in this news, somewhat understand what had been happening the past few nights. "I'm ready." He said. Instantly, a rumbling sound was heard, and where a mouth should have been on the 'face' of the Deku Tree, he bark and core separated, forming an entrance into the inside of the mystic Kokiri guardian.

"Then enter, Brave Link, and thou too, Navi… danger will be around every corner, but I can see that you are ready. You shall succeed… good luck, my child…" No one spoke further, and Link slowly walked into the tree, his hand ready at the hilt of the Kokiri Sword.


	3. Courage in Vain?

Chapter 3 – Courage in vain!

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GOD FREAKING DAMMIT ALL TO HELL! I'm soooo sorry for making you all wait so long before I updated this… college can be SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS. I had next to no free time on my hands and on deviantart I had to deal with a spammer on my page, which got my blood boiling for a little bit, and I had some drama with my GF and… gaaah anyways I'm sorry for how long this took because I know how you guys hate those kind of writers, I know that I do anyway, to some extent. I'm also sorry for how crappy this probably is… not only do I have little to no idea how I'd write off the dangers of each Zelda dungeon, I'm not sure how I'd write the battles, so… I know I still need work, you can give me pointers if you wish. As you can see, I'm done ranting now, so enjoy chapter 3!

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Link slowed walked into the innards of his master, Navi being his only light, save for some torches that were hung around where the core of a normal tree would have been. They were arranged around a hole in the 'floor' that Link was walking on. This hole was covered by a large, intricate spider web. Link pushed and prodded at it with his sword to discover it to be not sticky but of a rubbery substance. Navi gazed over Link's shoulder, equally intrigued by the web. "This is strange… this webbing is different from other spiders… skultullas didn't weave this… there's only one thing that could have made this web, but it's not possible, they've been extinct for several decades."

"Yeah well, I think we're about to find out, HEADS UP, NAVI!"

Surprised by Link's sudden yell, she quickly fluttered to her side, just barely avoiding a falling object that came to the ground with a grotesque 'splat' sound. The force of the impact tore the round object in half, and tiny skittering noises could be heard from within it. Navi's face became stern as she realized what Link was now up against. "What in the heck is that thing!" He asked her frantically, a bit nervous about fighting this unknown creature.

"It's a Gohma… a large species of spiders that once inhabited the forest. That was an egg that just fell… it's more than likely that there's more where that came from… if there are already eggs, than the mother must be somewhere close." Navi assessed the situation. Link, trying his best to stay brave, drew his sword. "Yeah well let's just hope there's not too many." The Gohma baby, extremely quick and easy to anger despite its nearly nonexistent age, lunged at the green elf child, who leapt to the side in order to avoid it. No sooner did his feet touch the ground again when he was forced to react a second time from another lunge from the larva. This process repeated itself several times as Link hopped around the chamber.

"Sheesh, I can't even get an attack in if he's coming at me at this rate!" Link said between jumps. Navi, flying higher in order to avoid the Gohma completely, directed his attention to a torch sitting just above the entrance. "Link! Get it to stand on the web over the hole!" Link instantly knew what she was planning and moved so that he and the Gohma larva were at opposite sides of the chamber, the hole covered with Gohma webbing directly at the midpoint between them. Again the larva charged, but this time, Link charged at it, and preparing for his first kill, slashed low along its body, severing both of the larva's legs, stopping it in the tracks it could no longer produce. A shriek of agony echoed across the hollow confines of the Deku Tree as the larva tried desperately to move from its mother's webbing, but could not. Navi, taking her cue picked up the torch and tossed it on the web, making it catch fire almost immediately. In a matter of seconds the web was naught but ashes, allowing the larva to fall down the long shaft. A soft splat could be heard from the bottom, making both Link and Navi exchange disgusted looks.

"Well, that worked out nicely. But now it looks like the only way to go…" Navi offered Link to finish. "…is down."

Not another word was spoken while Link gripped to the vines the clung to the sides of the whole as he started climbing down. After several minutes he was able to scale down low enough to jump off onto solid ground. The Kokiri looked around this new chamber and noticed many differences from the one he was just in. It no longer looked like the inside of a tree, but now it resembled something similar to the inside of a rocky cave one would expect to find in the middle of a jungle. Stranger still, the body of the larva that Link had just killed was nowhere in sight. Navi flew in tight circles around Link's body, nervous about their situation. "Link, be careful, something is here… it may be the root of the Deku Tree's problem."

"Odd that you use that wording, fairy." A voice resembling that of an older woman boomed across of room, startling both of the adventurers.

They looked behind to see what they could quickly describe as a very large version of the larva they just faced… nearly ten fold, Navi could estimate as she watched the immense arachnid crawl along the ceiling of the cavern. After several 'steps', it let loose from the ceiling, turning in midair to land only a yard from Link's position. Despite Link's fear that sprouted from this new threat, he quickly drew his sword and held it in a readied position before the Gohma spoke again. "I had orders to kill the Deku Tree and anyone who tried to stop me in the first place, but you crossed the line when you destroyed one of my children. You were foolish to come here! Prepare to meet your fate!" And with a shriek that rivaled no other, the Gohma started after it's prey.

'Oh great… how am I supposed to do this?' Link thought as he blocked the spider queen's first swipe with his shield. 'I thought I was supposed to be breaking a curse, not slaying a gigantic black widow!' to buy time, among other things, Link inquired to his foe about its motives. "Who told you to do this? Why the Deku Tree? Tell us now!" The Gohma merely scoffed and tossed the fairy boy away, his body hitting the wall of the chamber hard, leaving him dazed on the floor for several seconds.

'Link! Reasoning with it won't do a thing!' Link heard Navi's voice in his mind. 'Navi? What are you…' 'No time to explain!' she told him telepathically. 'You can't parry along forever! You just need to believe in yourself! Don't be afraid, know you won't lose, and your victory is assured!'

'Navi…' Link stumbled while getting up, but managed to stand. '…thank you.' He heard Navi chuckle. 'It's why I'm here, we're partners, right?' At that moment, Link glanced over at the fairy who was again indicating the torch that was used to kill the larva, now lying on the ground and still smoking slightly from before. "Right!" Link shouted aloud as he ran across the chamber, the Gohma following him in a blind rage. 'Link, Gohma's eyes are their weak point! Hers is fixated on you; use this to get to it!' Navi informed him. Link approached the nearly-extinguished torch and looked behind him to judge his distance between himself and the Gohma, which now was leaping towards him, ready to pounce on him. At the same time, Link leapt for the piece of wood, grabbing it out of Navi's hands, and in one fluid movement, tossed it straight toward the Gohma's single fiery eye.

The torch hit its mark, and the Gohma queen shrieked from agony, slowing its descent just enough to land right in front of the two heroes without so much as scratching them. Now blind, the giant spider could do nothing to remove the hot projectile from within its body, and eventually slumped in a heap before the Kokiri and fairy. All at once, the ground around them seemed to groan and shake, knocking the already-shocked Link off balance. "What's happening now!" he asked frantically. Navi also found it difficult to stay in the air but tried to answer her friend's question. "That Gohma must have been the source of the curse inflicting the Deku Tree! Now that it's gone, he's trying to rid its remains from his body!"

As if on cue, a bright light erupted from the floor of the 'temple,' completely encircling the deceased Gohma. Within seconds, its body was reduced to nothing but ash as blue flames overtook every inch of it. However, the light did not dissipate just yet, leaving a small circle just large enough for stand inside. Suddenly, the Deku Tree's voice boomed throughout the chamber.

"Well done Link… I knew thou wouldst be able to help me… please, step within that circle, its magic will bring thee outside where thou shalt receive thine reward." Link gave a sigh of relief and did as he was told. Instantly, the light became brighter and shot up to create a sort of cylinder for him to travel through. Closing his eyes, he imagined the forest, of the houses, of the Kokiri, and of Saria. He closed them tighter as the light became ever brighter, and once it dissipated, just as the Deku Tree stated, he was standing directly in front of his leader, to which he bowed low. This brought out a chuckle from the deity. "My child… you have no need to bow to me. For having broken my curse, I am the one in your debt, but sadly… it was too late before you even entered."

'What!' The partners thought at the same time.


	4. The Legend and The Parting

Chapter 4 – Past, Present, and… futures?

"Great Deku Tree, what do you mean? We destroyed the creature that gave you the curse, you should be fine!" Link recounted frantically only to receive a sigh from his ailing master. "Link… by the time you entered my body, the curse had already taken what little remained of my life force… I may be the ruler of this forest, but that does not make me immortal. I will die soon…" the elven child's jaw opened, but could not form words as he tried to sink this horrifying information in. Seconds later, he fell to his knees, stumbling from the grief wracking his mind and body.

"Do not mourn for me, my child, for I will not have perished in vain. More than anything, this was a test to show how truly capable you were, and that I will have been able to pass on this information to you." Link looked up from the ground, not getting up from all fours. "What do you mean by that, exactly?" The tree's voice became deeper and hoarse as time passed by and his explanation grew in length. "I was not entirely truthful with you when I called you here. The curse inflicted upon me was not by the Gohma that thou hast slain, but by a man called Ganondorf. He hails from the west, leading a band of thieves, therefore being known as the 'King of Gerudo.' He attacked me for a purpose… to gain a key to a power that has been sealed away since the very formation of this world." Navi floated closer to the tree with a look slightly less inquisitive than her partners'. "Since the world's creation? What could possibly have been…"

"All in good time, Navi. I shall tell you the tale." The deity interrupted, cueing the fairy to float back down beside Link, who was now simply sitting on the ground. "Millennia ago, before this planet had any life, before it even had any form, three goddesses descended upon it. Din, the goddess of power… Nayru, the goddess of wisdom… and Farore, the goddess of courage. First, Din, with her mighty arms ablaze with fire, took the land and gave it shape, unique landscapes, and the red earth itself. However, this was not enough. The planet was stark, inhospitable. Thus, Nayru poured her wisdom into the earth, giving it color, beauty, and oceans to fill the gaping canyons that Din had left over. This is what she would call the spirit of law for the world. Confident in what her sisters had done, Farore produced life forms with which to uphold this law and keep the world running for as long as time would allow. Their work complete, the three golden goddesses departed for the heavens from which they came, and at the point at which they left this mortal realm, three sacred golden triangles remained. Within it contained their power and their watchful eye over the world, and since then it has become the basis for our worlds providence. This balance of power, wisdom, and courage became known as…"

"…the Triforce." The Deku Tree then paused, predicting what question he would hear next.

"And this is what Ganondorf is after?" Link asked. His response was yet another sigh.

"Indeed. Shortly after the formation of the triangles, they were sealed away from our realm in a separate place, and around the gateway to this Sacred Realm, a temple was built, and only with special keys could one open this gate… three special stones, each spread across the land of Hyrule. I was placed in the care of the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, and Ganondorf, knowing this, threatened me, but I knew that if I kept it concealed, you would be able to safeguard it was I am gone. And now, you must take this from me before he knows that it is unguarded." With that, a bright green light flashed between them, and before Link even realized it, he held in his hand a green sphere, gold trickling down one side as if it were a river on a globe. Gazing at the stone in awe, he was slightly startled to hear the Deku Tree's now less-than-booming voice once again.

"Thou shalt never allow Ganondorf to obtain the keys to the Sacred Realm. Thou shalt never allow Ganondorf to lays his hands upon the Triforce of legend. That you must heed as you leave this forest." Link's leader said solemnly, forcing the green-clad child's jaw to hang open, speechless before the Tree continued. "I know it may seem harsh for you, as it will be for all of us, but you must leave tonight, without telling any of the other Kokiri. Doing so might cause unnecessary problems, and we haven't a moment to spare. The other two stones remain unguarded and you must secure them from Ganondorf's reach. I, however, do not know where they lie. Therefore, you must travel to Hyrule Castle and speak with the Princess of Destiny… she will know where they are. This is all I can tell you. Now, I must bid you farewell…"

Tears began to well in Navi's eyes at that final statement. "M-May your seeds spread across the forest… Great Deku Tree…" she stuttered, giving one final bow. "I… entreat ye… Link… and thou… too… Navi… Good…bye…" The tree said slowly in one of its last breaths. Several seconds later, a small rain of leaves fell from the trees branches, and the entrance leading within the tree closed up. Link then turned around and walked down the path that led him there, trying to keep a strong face as he left his leader and his way of life forever.

"Goodbye… Great Deku Tree…" he whispered in the silence of the forest.

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Nearly a half hour had passed, and Link tried to creep as quietly as possible through the open village so as not to wake up the young inhabitants from their midnight slumber. He took a look at his tree house, but then focused again on the gateway that was considered to the Kokiri as forbidden and walked through, his special clearance granted. He knew that there was nothing of value in his house that he needed. This cave-like entrance led into another part of the forest that the Kokiri could still dwell in that also held the true gate to the outside world. Link slowly walked across the bridge, but was stopped halfway by a voice in the dark, startling him again.

"You're leaving… aren't you?" Link bit his lip before turning around; he knew that voice all too well. The girl, now illuminated by her fairy as well as the moon and the fireflies that flew to and fro across the bridge walked closer to him. "S-Saria… I…" he started to say, but she put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"It's OK. I know what happened with the Deku Tree. We all do. We can feel… when his seeds have passed on to a new generation." Link sighed, not wanting to say goodbye to the only person that always stood by him. "Navi… would you mind leaving us alone for a minute? Please?" The fairy crossed her arms and reluctantly did as she was told. "Oh… all right, a few minutes, but that's all!" She then fluttered off towards one of the nearby trees, which she scaled up to one of its upper branches and took a seat.

"Saria… I don't want to leave here. I don't… want to leave you behind… but I have to… I have something I have to do… it concerns much more than just this forest or this entire kingdom… and I'm… it's a mission that only I can do." He finished quickly, turning around so he didn't have to see her, he couldn't see her sad. "Link, look at me." Saria's voice remained neutral, gentle, sincere, despite this promise her closest friend was making. "I always knew… that you were… different from us, Link. Special, unique, unlike anything nature placed in this forest. And that's a good thing. I knew… I somehow knew that you would have to leave us someday… so… I made you this." She then took her hands from behind her back and held up the object she had. It was an ocarina, nearly identical to the one she played constantly in the forest for the other Kokiri.

"Saria…" Link whispered, simply stunned by the sheer quality of the flute as he gingerly took it from her hands. "…thank you." Saria smiled slightly. "I hope that you'll play it… and that you'll use it to remember me by." The boy nodded, putting the ocarina in the pack that he had on his back. "I will." He said with as much confidence as he could muster. Suddenly, Saria threw her arms around him, catching Link off guard yet again. "I'll wait for you to come back… but… even if you don't… I want to tell you that… you'll always be my best friend… OK?" Link could feel small tears soaking into his tunic and couldn't help what happened next. He put his arms around her just as tight as she was and allowed one silent tear to fall through closed eyes.

"I'll come back to you… all of you… I promise."

The embrace lasted several seconds, though an eternity passed in the minds of the children before they let go, and Link turned around to leave. Navi, seeing them part, took her cue and followed him through the second gateway. As the child looked toward the dawning sky he palmed the ocarina that lay at the bottom of his knapsack.

'I'll keep this safe… and I mean it. I WILL come back… if it's the last thing I ever do.'

"You seem a little young to be interested in getting a girlfriend, Link." Navi said almost without thinking. In an instant, she was on the ground with a rather large bump on her head.

"Shut it." Link stated forcefully, walking toward the drawbridge that he saw opening across the field that lay before him.


	5. The Princess of Destiny

Chapter 5 – Princess of Destiny

The sun rose high above the sky while a most unfamiliar sight walked cautiously across the drawbridge that separated the Hyrule Field from the bustling bazaar that was Hyrule itself. Amongst the crowds of locals trying to get their hands on the latest novelty item, Link bobbed and weaved as to avoid being pushed into a corner. He fought through these bushels of people for several minutes, only having a few precious seconds to catch his breath before being forced to plow through another one, all the time looking at the horizon toward his goal.

'Hyrule Castle… So this "Princess of Destiny" is in there somewhere… but how would someone like me get in? Forget that, how am I going to get out of these crowds?!' Interrupting those thoughts was a small hand firmly grasping his own, and with a sharp tug, it pulled him out of the crazed mob and onto a small bench in the center of the square. Taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, Link looked at his side at the one who was, for some reason, still holding his hand. It was a young girl with long red hair, wearing a modest red and white dress with matching shoes, a smile plastered across her features. "Uh, erm, thanks," Link stammered. "It was getting a little claustrophobic in there." This made the girl giggle, bringing her free hand to her lips. "You're welcome. You're funny too." At this point, it was the girl's turn to examine the green-clad boy she saved, as well as the fairy that was hovering just behind his shoulder, at which point she gasped lightly.

"Ooh, is that a fairy?" she asked, pointing at Navi. "Did you come from the forest?" Link nodded, turning his head to whisper into his companion's ear. "Don't worry Navi, I think she's OK." Navi remained where she was, her nervousness showing. This was, after all, the first time she had been allowed in a public area. Link tap her head as if patting and designating her at the same time. "This is Navi, and I'm Link. Apparently she's very nervous around people that don't come from the forest." Another giggle escaped the girl's lips. "It's nice to meet you both, my name's Malon. So what were you two doing all this way out of the forest?" Link brought his free hand to his chin as he tried to think of a way to explain his situation to his new acquaintance without revealing too much.

"I'm on official business from the guardian of my forest, and I need to see someone at the castle as soon as I can…" The lad was cut off as Maron leaned in closer to her new friend, her eyes filled with excitement. "The castle? That must be important, they don't let many people in there at all. Ooh, I know, I actually have something to do there myself, I can vouch for you once we get there." She proposed. Link's eyes widened as he heard this option present itself, but his hope soon faded as he remembered the girl's words. "Didn't you just say they don't allow many people there?" Maron, instead of immediately responding, stood up and started jogging to the opposite end of the square, effectively dragging Link behind in her still-clasped hand, the boy stumbling, trying to find his balance. "Whoa, slow down!"

"They don't let a lot of people through, but I help my daddy deliver milk there all the time. They know me, and my dad's already there, so they'll let me bring a friend with me." The joyful girl led on, not letting up on her pace as she skipped toward the castle that they viewed in the distance as they left the main bazaar behind. After several minutes, Link was able to keep from stumbling and managed to keep up with the girl's seemingly boundless energy. During the walk to the castle, Maron continued talking, about herself, her father, and the ranch where they lived and produced the milk they delivered.

"You should come visit sometime. I know you'd like to see it!" Link smiled and nodded as the gate that separated them from the royal courtyard came into view. "I'm sure I would. Thanks again for all this." Maron nodded back, then turned back toward the gate and waved at the guard that stood in front of it before stopping in front of him. "Well, hello, Maron. Come to help your father with the milk today?" He asked in a kind voice. The ranch girl bowed before answered, finally letting go of Link's hand to do so.

"That's right, sir." The soldier bent over to quickly inspect the boy. "And is this a new friend of yours?" Link bowed and opened his mouth to speak, but Maron cut him before he could say anything. "Yes sir! His name is Link. I just met him a little while ago, and he's interested in helping out at the ranch." The guard laughed heartily. "Well, it's nice to see a few young ones take a little initiative to earn a living in this day and age. Well, best I don't keep you from your father. Hold on a moment while I open the gate for you." With that, the man opened the door behind him, and true to his word, the gate began to slide open enough for the children to walk through. They soon approached the drawbridge to the castle, Maron hushing her voice when seeing her father in the distance.

"You can make your way to the courtyard through here. From there you should find where you want to go. We'll meet up later, after we're done with our job, so it doesn't look suspicious." The girl explained, giving him a wink. Still somewhat stumped as to why this girl he just met was being so generous and risky, it took a couple of seconds for Link to nod in response. "Thank you. I won't forget this." He said with a confident voice, taking a slightly faster pace down the separate path.

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"You'd think she'd have known that there would be…"

"NOT. ONE. WORD." Link scolded the fairy in a very hushed voice very behind a piece of shrubbery in the castle courtyard, where, dotted around it, were several guards patrolling the perimeter. "She meant well, and this is probably the most direct route. We just need to figure out a way to get through here unseen." Navi slowly flew over to the bag that Link carried and untied the strap. "What are you doing now?" The boy sighed, becoming annoyed at the fairy's never-ending energy that fueled her dedication to finishing their mission as quickly as humanly possible, regardless of what Link thought of it.

"Hush up. Don't you have something in your bag of toys here that might provide a diversion or something? Like this, maybe?" She said, also showing her frustration with her partner by tossing out an object from it that landed directly on top of Link's head, though he barely felt the impact from how it was. When he grabbed it, a wave of nostalgia took over his mind as he stared at a slingshot that he had made from a tree branch, and the lining and string of an old rupee pouch. Instantly getting what she meant, he smirked. "You know, you can be pretty smart when you're not nagging at me."

"THANK YOU," Navi yelled in their currently-hushed tone, crossing her arms. "It's about time you gave me recognition for…" Just realizing what Link's statement meant, she opened her eyes again. "HEY!" She made a beeline for her partner's face, but was caught by the boy's hand and shoved into the beg where Link was now fishing out a seed to use as a bullet. "Take some of your own advice and be quiet. I need to find a good target."

Placing the large seed in the pouch of the slingshot AN: Or whatever the hell you call that part of a slingshot, I have no idea. XD and leaning up ever so slightly above the top edge of the bush, he brought the seed back, still scanning the area for a target to divert the guards' attention. At that point, from the other end of the courtyard, there came a horse-drawn carriage that started to quicken its pace.

Link smirked again as he let the seed go flying, whizzing not an inch away from the horse's eyes, startling the animal and forcing him to rear back and stomp about for several seconds, rattling the carriage and its passenger as well as knocking the handler off of his seat. Several of the guards rushed over to help calm the beast and bring the driver to safety. Not soon after, Link was gone and through the other end of the courtyard.

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Passing through an archway, Link found himself in a much smaller inner courtyard, a circular-shaped room a small moat not two inches deep around a tiny garden in the middle, blooming with many kinds of flowers. At the other end, the boy could see a small figure leaning over a windowsill that looked inside a corridor inside the inner hallways of the castle. Navi emerged from Link's bag and gasped when she caught her view. "That must be her… the princess… but why is she here?" she asked Link telepathically. "Does it really matter? We came here to talk to her, so that's what we'll do." He answered in his mind. Slowly, he walked up behind the princess, getting close enough to get her attention, but far enough away to show her respect.

From there, he respectfully lowered onto one knee and bowed his head, Navi landing on his shoulder to do the same. "Excuse me." He called as calmly as he could. Still, the woman quickly spun around, gasping lightly.

"W-who are you?! How did you get past the guards?" She sputtered, her hands in front of her face in shock. Link remained in his position, bowing lower. "Forgive me, milady, but it was necessary. I bear news from…"

"The forest?"

Link's head rose, but still didn't move from his spot. "How did you know that?"

The princess sighed heavily with relief. "Please, be at ease," she said, the boy slowly standing up as she approached him. "I was merely confirming a theory of mine. Your clothing and fairy companion gave the impression that you were a forest boy. However, there is one more thing I must know before you continue. Do you have a green stone of some sort? Do you know what I mean?" She inquired in a surprisingly sophisticated voice for her age, even for a young princess.

"A green stone? Well, there's this…" Link took off his knapsack and searched through it once again to grasp the Spiritual Stone that the Deku Tree passed onto him. The princess' eyes lit up the moment she caught a glimpse of it. "That's it! I was right!" She exclaimed almost immediately, pointing at it before Link put it back in the bag. "Right about what, if I may?" Again, the princess attempted to calm herself. "Oh, yes… well… oh, goodness, sorry! I was so excited, I completely forgot to introduce myself."

"My name is Zelda. I am the Princess of Hyrule."

And so, Zelda began to recount her vision to the lad amidst the flowers of her courtyard. Meanwhile, outside of the castle gates, two carriages past each other, one holding a messenger of the castle, the other holding a mysterious visitor from the west.


	6. The Evil Eyes

Chapter 6 – The Music that Calms Fear! The Royal Ocarina

"So, let me get this straight… you had a vision in your dreams telling you that I would come here asking for you help finding the Sacred Stones?" Link asked, sitting comfortably in the grass alongside the princess. It was almost as if their difference in social status didn't even exist. They were no longer a lowly Kokiri and royal princess; instead they were simply two children on an important mission.

"The way you described your own dream to me, I would not be surprised if I was not the only one with that power," Zelda explained vaguely, leaning forward lacing her fingers in front of her knees. The boy turned to her, intrigued.

"What do you mean?" However, he didn't get his answer, for at that moment the two of them were interrupted by several loud noises that reverberated through the halls of the castle. "That's the gate closing! He's here!" the princess exclaimed, getting up and briskly walking back to the window where Link found her. This time, he followed her there. "Who's here? What's going on?" He asked frantically, trying to get a vantage point to see through the small window; Zelda was blocking most of it.

"I was telling you before," she whispered with a sense of urgency. "The jewel that formed from those clouds in my dream had to represent someone shrouded in the same darkness…"

"What, do you mean he's coming here, now? And you're father is just LETTING HIM enter the castle?!" Zelda turned around to look at him with a finger to her lips, shushing the boy quickly before she turned back to the window. "I just wasn't certain… I have to know if he's the one before we do anything. Come on, there's room for the both of us," the princess whispered, waving toward the window without looking back at Link again, who bent down and tried his best to look into the hallway where the king's guest would walk through. Sure enough, within less than a minute an armor-clad man caught the children's eyes. His darker-colored skin gave the impression that wherever he was from was either of a different ethnicity or the amount of sunlight and heat was close to unforgiving. The man slowly walked up the carpeted hallway, conveniently stopping to take a knee to bow respectfully at a person they could not see, who was presumably the king, almost directly in the children's line of sight.

At first, Link thought he didn't recognize the man, but Zelda's slight gasp of fear made him take note of the strange jewel that was somehow embedded in the man's forehead. Just then, the guest's head moved ever so slightly, his eyes now fixated upon the window the children were looking through. At that instant, Link remembered who he was looking at. This was the man from his dream, the man who nearly killed him in his mind dozens of times over.

'It's… it's HIM...!' Link shouted in his mind. 'It's those eyes… those… evil, soul-draining eyes…'

With a yelp both out of fear of being discovered and a renewed fear for his own life, the boy fell backward from his hunched-over position, his mouth wide open in shock. Zelda also moved away from the window to avoid being seen, and was about to relay her discovery to Link, but she noticed his face stricken with terror.

"That was it, I'm sure of… Link? Link, what's wrong?! What happened?" She knelt down, putting her arm on his shoulder. She could feel him trembling a little. "That man… h-he was… he was the one in the dream… the one who'd killed me so many times… d-don't tell me that's…" He didn't want to finish asking the question, already knowing and dreading his answer. Zelda nodded. "Yes, that's him. The design of that head jewel mirrors that of my vision. There's no denying it… Ganondorf Dragmire, the King of Thieves, is the man who threatens this kingdom," she stated almost regrettably. Link tried to resist the urge to curl up a little more, to hug his legs close to him, to resist facing the realization that he would most likely, one day, fight that evil man, and eventually succeeded after almost a minute had passed.

'You're going to have to face him sooner or later.' Navi mentally advised him. 'I know, I know. That doesn't really mean it's going to be easy once I do, though. I just wonder if the Deku Tree knew about this similarity…' Link retorted back.

'It wouldn't surprise me,' the fairy shrugged. 'That may have been an additional reason why he trained you back in the forest. You were really brave when you fought the Gohma and, in a way, if I may say so, even braver when you left Saria behind. I'm sure you could stand up to one man after a little conditioning!' the fairy explained, Link reacting to Saria's name. 'Saria… that's right…' he thought as he took Zelda's hand to pull himself up, trying to keep a serious face. "All right, I'm better now, Sa-, I mean, Zelda."

The boy could hear a chuckle in a corner of his mind, which gave a twinge at a different nerve than before. 'Still got her on the brain, I see,' she said teasingly. 'Not the time, nor the place,' Link shouted in his head, again trying to ready himself to speak again. The princess was still confused as to how he was acting. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine… we should get back to business. You were telling me about the other Spiritual Stones. Do you know where they are? We need to find them before he can!" They were now both in the center of the courtyard again, to completely avoid view from the window. Zelda sighed as she sat. "Not exactly; I know what regions of Hyrule they reside in, and who is supposed to own them, but as for their whereabouts, I couldn't tell you for certain. The Stone of Fire is in the care of the Gorons that reside in a village on Death Mountain, while the Stone of Water rests with the Zoras in their domain at Hyrule's river. However… you probably don't know your way around this province very well, yet, do you?" Link scratched his head in embarrassment. "Heh heh… no, I've only been away from the forest for less than a day," he confessed.

"Well then, I guess that means we have our work, cut out for us, don't we?" the two children jumped at the sudden entrance of a new voice in the conversation, the both of them twirling around to view the direction in which Link had entered. The boy was hesitant to react one way or the other, but Zelda sighed with relief and jogged over into the arms of a middle-aged woman whose short, white hair and oddly oriental clothing stood out among all the other features her face bore. She bent over to hear Zelda whispering into her ear for a few seconds. The older woman nodded a few times before they separated, Zelda running to a different corner of the courtyard and the woman approaching Link. Now certain that this was definitely not only an ally, but an important figure for the princess herself, he tried to regain his composure and bow to her, but she stopped him before he could. "At ease, young one, there's no need for such respect toward me; I am but the princess' attendant. My name is Impa, a survivor of the Sheikah."

"I see. Good to meet you… so, if I may, what was that whispering about?" Navi decided to pipe up and ask. Impa knelt to come at eye level with both the boy and fairy. "Zelda simply filled me in about our mission is all; I've been in on this long before you arrived. The princess' father has started to lose trust in her… we fear that even if we tell the King of Ganondorf's intentions, he won't believe us," she explained regrettably. "This leaves us with very little choice of options. We're going to have to secure the Triforce itself from his reach instead of just the keys to attaining it."

"And the Spiritual Stones… they're the keys?" Link asked to clarify. "Correct. However, there is one more item that we already have secured. Without it, the Spiritual Stones are little more than decorations…" the sheikah held out her hand to show something to the boy.

"The Ocarina of Time."

It certainly had the look of importance and lavishness to it, with a glossy royal blue finish that made it look like it was hot from the mold, and not an ancient artifact. "We can keep this safe for the time being. Even without its connection to legend, this is still a family heirloom that the Royal Family would never allow to fall into unworthy hands. However, there will soon be a time where you, Link, will have to use it yourself." Impa's voice remained calm, but had a sort of subtle sternness to it that assured Link that what she spoke of was true. But, something still puzzled him. "But, um… does it need to be that Ocarina specifically? I have one of my own…" he fished around in his bag once more to pull out the instrument Saria gave to him, holding it out to show her.

"Yes, it does have to be this instrument when pertaining to the task we had in mind, however… this will do quite nicely for the time being," she said, looking over the flute, examining the surprising level of craftsmanship put into it despite being made by a child-like figure before handing it back to him. "Meaning…?"

"Where you have to go requires various forms of clearance. The Princess is getting a pass that will allow you to walk Death Mountain's trail, and the other, actually, is a song," she explained matter-of-factly. "A song?" Link asked quizzically, wondering how exactly a song could be used as clearance for anything. "It's a melody that's been related to the royal family for over a century. It's quite short, for obvious reasons. I've actually sung it to the princess as a lullaby as a child; I can teach it to you right now if you'd like. Do you know anything of music?"

Link nodded, and using the small amount of time he had practicing with other ocarinas with Saria in the forest, Impa walked the lad through the few simple steps it took to learn the royal jingle. Impa's former use for it as a lullaby was something Link could understand after this lesson; playing it made him feel much calmer than he did just minutes before. The fear he felt had all but disappeared. Shortly after Impa felt that what she taught him was sufficient, Zelda ran back into the courtyard holding a sort of pamphlet, as well as a small atlas of the surrounding areas of Hyrule field. She handed it to Link, who read over the citation quickly, already knowing what it meant. Impa patted the young heiress' head, satisfied. "You've done well, princess. Your 'warrior' seems to understand his mission well."

Link scratched his head a bit in embarrassment. Impa walked over to him, taking him by the arm. "We'll be going. I'll escort him outside the castle," she stated. The girl waved, Link barely having time to wave back before Impa picked something out of the pouch strapped at her side. Link couldn't quite tell what it was before she tossed it at the ground, where it exploded in a brilliant light. When Zelda opened her eyes, the two were gone.

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"W-What was that?!"

Link was utterly shocked at how they traveled so far, so quickly. In mere seconds, they were alone on the outskirts of Hyrule Field, outside the gate to the Castle Town. Whatever Impa had used in the courtyard gave her a sort of boost of speed as she jumped up onto the upper level of the castle, running into the woods, out of sight of the townspeople. She picked out several more of the small orb-like objects, holding them out for Link to see. "Deku Nuts. We Sheikah used them constantly as an art of escape, and we're naturally very speedy and agile. I'm really the only one who could have gotten you out so quickly as to not attract attention."

She dropped what she had in her hand into that of the startled Link, about a dozen of them. "Take them. They might be useful if you encounter enemy forces," she advised. Link quickly adding them to his pack. "Thank you, very much. You've been a lot of help," he said as sincerely as possible, still trying to shake off the slight feeling of bewilderment from actually being on solid ground again. The woman pointed close to where they were. "There… that is the way to Kakariko Village. It's where you'll find the entrance to the Death Mountain trail. The need for haste is not urgent, but you must keep in mind that Ganondorf may start to become impatient." Link nodded. "I can't follow you any further. I must go back to the castle."

"All right. Good luck."

Impa departed without a word, again pulling out a Deku Nut, and in a flash, she was gone. Link looked up at the grassy path that led up a hill close by that Impa indicated and started to walk towards it, but was stopped by a yell from a familiar voice that sounded far away.

"Heeeey! Link!!"

The boy turned around to view the borders of a small ranch in the distance. Lumbering towards it was a small horse-drawn carriage, and in its back, a beaming and waving Malon. Link decided that the village could wait, and started running towards the carriage to catch up with it. By the time he did, they were right next to the gate of the ranch, which was quickly opened by an annoyed-looking employee. "Where were you?!" Malon yelled. "I told my daddy to wait for a long time, but you never came! I was worried about you!"

"Well, it's not like I knew exactly how long I was going to be there. I wasn't even sure what I was going to get out of the conversation." Link tried to explain tactfully, Navi fluttering around his head. "He's right; we never really said WHEN we'd…"

"So that's yer friend back there, Malon?" the fairy was cut off by the man in the driver's side of the carriage. The boy turned and nodded. "Heard a lot about ya… just a second, I'll come around back," he shouted from out front. With the carriage safely in its place, he quickly ducked out of view of the small flapping hole looking out into barn, and several seconds later, he indeed walked around to take away the boards that separated Malon from safely jumping out, afterwards, putting them back and extending his hand towards his guest, who took it gratefully, as Link could do with a little normality after what recently happened.

"Link, ain't it? Pleasure ta meet ya. Name's Talon, I'm the owner of Lon Lon Ranch here, one of the few in Hyrule. Little Malon told me ya came from the forest, that right?" Link nodded once more, Navi again perching on his shoulder, seizing Talon's attention. "That's right; Navi here and I had something important to take care of for our guardian."

"Well I'll be damned, you forest folk really DO got fairies, don't ya?" he said, bending down for a closer look at her. "Well, I won't bother ya with the details about that, that's yer own business, but anyways, ya seem like a nice boy. Thanks for playin' around with Malon in the meantime," he explained, getting back up and smiling humbly at the boy, and then joined Link in looking over at Malon, who was now happily sprinkling cucco feed in a pen in the corner. Talon bent down again, hushing his voice enough so Malon wouldn't hear. "Beautiful, ain't she? Wanna marry her?" Taken aback by that statement, Link stumbled and nearly fell over, causing Talon to laugh a deep, hearty, genuine laugh.

"Haw haw haw! Ah, I'm just joking, just joking, I know you ain't that way about her. Though, that don't mean I don't know that kinda look, she reminds ya of somebody, don't she?"

'Hmmm, I wonder who that is, Link? Can I guess?' Navi whispered in Link's mind. 'One more crack about that and I'll ZIP you in the bag…' he snapped back before responding to Talon, embarrassment plastered on his features. "Heh heh… yes, a very good friend of mine."

"Link! Come here!" Malon cried from the other side of the barn. The boy jogged over to see the girl petting the mane of a small ruby-red pony. Her posture and form were something to behold, she truly stood out among the other horses in the barn. "Isn't she beautiful? Her name is Epona… she's my favorite. Here, you can pet her," she explained, taking away her hand so as to give Link room enough to replace it with his own. The young horse whinnied softly, allowing Link to continue. "Well, yer just fulla surprises, ain't ya, boy?" Talon piped up as he walked closer, Link glancing over, trying to keep one eye on Epona at the same time. "That horse is pretty picky about who she lets touch her. I always need to call Malon in order for her to do almost anything." The boy chuckled, Malon taking Epona back into her stable.

'We should probably wrap this up, we have things to do,' Navi stressed in Link's mind. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay for very long, but I really need to get going," he told them hastily, Malon immediately looking dejected. "Aw, but you just got here! Can't you stay a little longer, please?" She asked in a childlike whine. Talon responded by putting his hand on her shoulder and patting it. "Now, now, darlin', the boy's probably got important things to do, we can't keep him from 'em," Malon sighed dejectedly, defeated. "I guess so…"

"But before ya go, I got somethin' for ya." The pleasantly plump father walked out of the barn, the children following to see him take a bottle from the doorstep to the living quarters of the ranch. He tossed it over to the boy. "Here. On the house, for bein' such a good kid. It's a batch of our good ol' Lon Lon Milk. Best in Hylia Province, they say. Show it around, we could always use the business," he explained with a well thought-out tone, showing he's told this to people several times before. Link smiled as he looked the bottle over before putting it in his bag.

'This is all so strange… in the span of a day, I've met so many people… the outside world is far more kind than the Deku Tree once told of…'

'The Deku Tree… the forest, that's it!'

'Huh? What's it, what are you talking about?' Navi asked. 'I'll tell you in a minute,' he responded in his mind, looking back up at the Lon Lon family. "Thank you, both of you," he stated quickly, waving before walking towards the gates, the both of them returning it. "Come back and visit again, Link!" Malon called out, accenting her voice with hands around her mouth like a loudspeaker. "Y'all come back anytime!" Talon chimed in, the father and daughter watching as the green-clad boy was soon lost among the high, dark grass of Hyrule Field.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So remind me, WHY are we going back to the forest again?"

"I TOLD YOU, the forest has another portion to it that only Saria and I know about; she told me that there are ways to a bunch of places in the outside world there," he explained once more as they crossed the bridge back into the Kokiri village, once again under the cover of darkness as Link led the way to another pathway that led into a separate part of the forest yet again. Navi didn't hesitate to show her impatience. "What's the point? We already KNOW how to get where we want to go, do we NEED to take the route through the forest?"

"No, of course not, that's not why we're here… you haven't been around the forest very long, have you?" Link retorted, starting to become impatient himself. "I'm familiar! Well… not with THIS part, I'm not, anyway…" she admitted as they slowly walked along the pathway, lit only by the infrequent pair of torches, sometimes placed so far apart that Navi's glowing wings were the only glimpse as to where they were. Otherwise, the path was quite smooth and free of debris. "Well, just think about it… how did you get your orders from the Deku Tree to come to the forest in the first place? A messenger, right?"

"Yes, another fairy told me that my services were needed. I asked why, and she said she didn't know, only that she was told by the last…" her eyes widened, and she snapped her fingers in realization of Link's logic. "Oh, now I get it!"

"I figured you would… the forest is where information inevitably gets sent, simply because of how vast it is, and the creatures that reside in it telling of the actions of other groups. Even the elements themselves, like the wind and the rivers, wind their way through the forest, telling their own story," the boy recited words that he heard from the Deku Tree in several grouped meetings he had with him. Navi smiled and nodded, folding her arms as she flew alongside him. "And we're going to try and use this system of information to find out exactly who owns the Spiritual Stones, right? That's great thinking, Link!" The boy laughed nervously. "You give me too much credit… it was Saria and the Deku Tree that really taught me everything I know right now…" Link's words trailed off as he started to pick up his pace. "This is it."

The distance between groups of torches became much shorter, and the duo could hear a faint sound in the distance. The sound became more distinct very quickly, and shortly, they came upon a small alcove ablaze with the light of fireflies, in its center a small stump, and sitting upon it was an almost entranced-looking Saria, who, if she didn't open one eye for a split second, might not have noticed that Link had even arrived. The two Kokiri smiled, Link marveling the scene in front of him while awaiting for Saria to finish her song before speaking.

"…Hi," was all he could say, still in awe at her skills.

"I had a feeling you'd be back sooner than you said you would… you never were one to get everything right the first time you did something," she explained calmly. 'Why am I not surprised,' Link thought as he walked closer to her. "Gee, thanks. It's good to see I'm SO reliable here," he joked, playing along with her jest. Saria then jumped up and threw her arms around the lad's neck and shoulders.

"I still missed you," she said in an almost whiney voice as Link also moved his arms around her back, one hand resting close to her head. This sensation was not unfamiliar to him, but having lived his life without a day separated from anyone in the forest, to have gone without it even for this long was trying for him. "It was only a day… but I missed you too."

"BUSINESS," the shrill voice of Navi shrieked, forcing the two apart in frustration. With a sigh, Saria sat back down. "You're looking for information the forest carries, right? Well, take out that ocarina, I'll tell you everything you'll need to know…"

And so, the two played on through the hours of the night, their music becoming one with the voices of nature, until dawn arose once again.


End file.
